Illusions of Reality
by Defiant Nefelibata
Summary: (Contains Daddy!Bruce and later family!avengers) Begins after the events of The Incredible Hulk but before the Avengers. Depressed and alone, convinced that his life is no longer worth living, Bruce reaches his lowest point in the wilds of the Canadian Rockies. However he is shocked when he finds an equally lost, young soul in the forest, just as unusual and unique as he is.


**(Pulls hair in frustration) I really hate my brain sometimes. I have a few dozen plot lines and stories for many different fandoms rolling round in my skull and my ever fickle muse flits between them as they suit her fancy. GRRR! I really should be working on finishing one of my Transformer fics or finally updating one of my Ninja Turtles fics but it would seem I can't until I at least start this one. Not to mention this has been sitting on my computer for a while so I thought I'd get some feedback and see if the idea is worth the time.**

**OK, so a small explanation before I begin what could likely be a very big fic if what I have planned on the storyboard gets written like I plan. First and foremost is that I will be playing very liberally with the Marvel universe and this is my first movie fic. There will be many different characters, ideas, and fictional organizations from just about everywhere. We even touch briefly on Mutants and Xmen but they are ****_not_**** a big part of this story. Later there may even be an idea or two that evolved around a few speculations and insights into the future Avengers sequel with the added bonus of an OC, just because I can. Two big changes is that: One, the time line adjusts a little bit to allow Bruce a few months to get from the wilds of British Columbia to Calcutta and settle in a bit, and two is that Bruce doesn't go to the Arctic to attempt to… um, off himself (Which you would know if you saw the trailer, I recommend watching it). I'm also claiming artistic licence so that he finds himself hitting his really low spot just a little after the end of ****_The Incredible Hulk_****movie (they never really say ****_when_****he hit his low spot anyhow). The reasons for this will be explained in story. We will first begin a few months (almost a year) before the Avengers movie but after the Hulk movie and go from there. This will be my first time writing through a movie so this should be interesting to say the least.**

**IMPORTANT NOTE: The things written here are, of course, pure fiction and in no way represent my personal beliefs. I'm simply typing this warning for those trolls and flamers who may try to take something written in this fic too literally. Remember if you don't like don't read, ok? There may be some ****POTENTIALLY TRIGGERING****stuff here ok? Bruce is in a bad place when this starts, though I promise he won't be there for very long. Also there will be a bad guy that I can foresee some people perhaps giving me some grief over, but I'll leave him out of this for now and explain my reasoning when the time comes. I cannot promise consistent updates but I will always complete any fic I start.**

**As we all know I own nothing except my OC and general plot. Let's face it if I owned the Avengers I'd be rich and find a way to write myself into the movies. Just like Stan Lee does. Ok, so that's enough of my rambling make sure to read and review please!**

**!THE FIRST AUTHORS NOTE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT, SO MAKE SURE YOU READ IT!**

Bruce was tired.

It had been about a month since he had woken after fighting The Abomination and fleeing for his life across the continent. The brilliant ex-physicist was under no illusions about how badly General Ross still wanted him dissected or dead, whichever came first most likely. So naturally he did what he did best and survived by hitchhiking his way across the country, sneaking over borders, stealing, lying and begging where he had to. Though he usually tried to avoid the stealing part if he had a choice. All Bruce wanted was to get as far away from New York as he could without needing either a boat or a plane.

Bruce didn't think he had ever felt as tired as he did right now.

He had gotten a rare and long overdue stroke of luck once he had found his way into British Columbia. After a few close calls he had managed to shake anyone that may have been following him and stumbled across an abandoned but functional cabin in the wilds of the Rocky Mountains. With what little money he had managed to scrape together through various means and odd jobs, Bruce stockpiled on food and made a small investment on a beat up pickup truck that was on its last legs. At first it had been wonderful; the isolation, the peace and quiet, and best of all there was no one for hundreds of miles that he might hurt if he accidently lost control of the Other Guy. He had even found a small measure of control over his other half. There was only one problem; Bruce was left with far too much time to think.

All Bruce wanted at the moment was a deep dreamless sleep.

With few distractions and far too much time on his hands Bruce had almost no choice but to think about what he was going to do next, and for the first time in a very long time Bruce truly didn't know. Since he had first transformed just over five years ago and realized what he had become his whole life revolved around curing himself and running from the military. Samuel Sterns, or Mr. Blue as he had once known him as, had been his last desperate hope of ever finding a cure and it had turned around and bitten him where it hurt. Now he was left with no resources, few contacts and even fewer options.

All Bruce could see for his future was a lifetime of running and hiding like a hunted animal until he was killed or given up as a lost cause. However even that was implausible, he was too dangerous to just be forgotten, there would always be someone who would want to try and recreate the monster in his blood. There would always be people who would be willing enough to take up the hunt for him to do it. Every night he had nightmares of running and gunfire, of becoming the Other Guy and killing people, and always he woke from these dreams in panic with green tinted eyes and a heartbeat that was far too fast for comfort.

It wasn't long before Bruce became despondent and the charming mountains he had surrounded himself with no longer seemed so peaceful. The isolation that kept the rest of the world safe from the Other Guy quickly became unbearable. Within that time he came to accept that he would never again be rid of the monster he had become, he could never be with Betty or live a normal life. Without even seeming to realize it, Bruce began to prepare, by moving on some tiny idea that he hardly even dared to think about for fear of it being taken from him. This thought that had hovered in the back of his mind for so long over the past few years he hardly ever noticed it, until now. Over the course of a few weeks Bruce sold anything he had of value and bought what he hoped would bring an absolution from his misery from a trapper five hours away from the cabin.

Once he had what he needed Bruce packed what little he still owned into the rundown blue truck that he had purchased and started driving. He had no idea where he was going, only that he had to get somewhere isolated. The ex-physicist drove all day and well into the night, finding the most abandoned old logging roads and more than a few overgrown trails that his much abused truck could barely struggle down. Bruce drove until his eyes burned with exhaustion and the roads finally ended in a tangle of brush and towering pines. He let the truck idle for a moment before turning the engine off with a sigh.

The night was dark for a few moments before Bruce's eyes adjusted to the faint moonlight filtering through the treetops. Bruce had over a day's worth of stubble on his chin, dark bags under his eyes and was dressed in a worn flannel shirt and blue pants. With a groan he rubbed a hand over his careworn features and leaned his head against the steering wheel and closed his eyes. Flashbacks, broken green tinged memories, and nightmares haunted the back of his eyelids forcing him to open his eyes again with a start and look over at the truck glove box. Bruce was so tired, tired of running, tired of hiding, tired of living on the run, and he hoped that tonight he would finally find some rest.

With steady hands Bruce opened the catch and reached into the glove box, pulling out the already loaded handgun. The metal was cool at first but it quickly warmed in his hand, its weight and rough handle in his palm almost soothing to the touch. Without a second look at the weapon Bruce jumped out of the truck and left it unlocked with the key sitting on the seat. It wasn't hard for him to walk away from the vehicle, especially since all that he had left to call his own was; the truck itself, a single change of clothes, a baggy grey sweater, a small can of gas and a few hundred dollars. None of it was something that he could, or wanted, to take with him.

For a long time Bruce hiked through the trees and brush thinking only of the next step, ignoring his exhaustion and the pistol he carried. He didn't know how far he walked but by the time he came to a small clearing big enough to see a small piece of sky the moon was already high overhead. Bruce paused, looked up at the sky and impassively admired the silver crescent moon and how serene it looked surrounded by stars. A cool summer wind brought him back to earth and the detested but calming firearm that sat so comfortably in his hand. The ex-scientist had always loathed weapons, a hate had only grown over the past few years, so the irony of this situation was not completely lost on Bruce.

He had nothing left and he accepted this. There was no cure, nothing that could change him back and make him what he once was, all he could see was a future of being hunted and experimented on. He only hoped that Betty would never know what had happened to him and that eventually she would move on and be happy, she deserved that at least. Bruce closed his tired brown eyes, and for once wasn't immediately assaulted by a nightmare on the back of his eyelids. His mouth was dry but his pulse was eerily calm and steady as he tasted metal and gun grease on his tongue. Bruce sent one last silent plea to anyone that would listen that this would work, that he could sleep in peace at last.

The crack of a gunshot echoed through the woods, but was followed shortly by an even louder roar of rage that shook the forest and rang through the mountains.

(Meanwhile at a secure location)

"Director Fury, we have a possible sighting on Dr. Banner."

Fury, dressed in his usual ensemble of black clothes and trench coat, looked up from where he was seated at his massive oak desk. The agent in front of him was one of many tasked with finding and tailing anyone that S.H.I.E.L.D considered a threat. Doctor Bruce Banner almost had an entire team dedicated solely to himself, for his uncanny knack of being able to shake his followers and stay off their radar. Fury set aside the hit order he was working on for a gang leader in Italy and pinned the female agent with a one eyed stare, to her credit she didn't flinch.

"A sighting? It's rare that the good doctor makes that kind of mistake. Do we have a visual?" Fury questioned as he leaned back in his seat.

"No sir, not a visual, but you wanted an immediate direct report on anything that even remotely hinted at Dr. Banner's location. I overheard some chatter on our satellite by some late night poachers about something much bigger than a bear being heard close to where we suspect Dr. Banner to be hiding. I scanned the area with one of our satellites and looked for gamma radiation. The signature matches Dr. Banner's radiation signature and the satellite images show that a mile wide section of the forest has inexplicably been demolished."

Fury nodded, smiling internally, it was good to finally have a bead on Banner since they lost him after the Harlem incident. Fury was slightly concerned as to what could have triggered one of the doctor's 'episodes' out in the middle of nowhere but not overly worried. As long as S.H.I.E.L.D had an eye on Banner and the doctor didn't kill someone important, get captured, or create another mess like Harlem he didn't really care what the man did.

"Good job Agent-"

"Demore, sir."

"Agent Demore. Have some agents posted in all of the nearby towns, should he pass through any of them make sure they tail him discreetly and at a distance. If Dr. Banner thinks he's being followed he'll vanish into the wind again, I want no mistakes this time. Dismissed."

Fury turned his attention back to his paperwork but looked back up after a few moments when Agent Demore didn't move to leave.

Fury raised an eyebrow at the agent, "Yes?"

"Sir? That may not be all. We have something that may or may not be an incident related to Dr. Banner being in the same area."

Fury frowned at this and his one eye narrowed, "Explain."

Agent Demore impossibly straightened even more, recognising the look in her boss' eye as not being a good one. "Only a few minutes after finding the radiation signature I recorded a massive energy spike in the same area. It happened in a small town of less than a hundred civilians just a few miles north of where Dr. Banner was heard. A church was destroyed and three people were killed in what was described as 'a beam of light'. Reports vary as to some of the details; some say the light was coming from a space ship, while others say the light came from the ground, and as to which color the light was no report is the same. However many of the reports indicate that the towns people believe that some kind of demon is behind the light and deaths."

Fury's always present frown deepened. As far as he or anyone else knew Banner didn't have the ability to make destructive blasts of light. The man was already destructive enough with the 'condition' he had, anything more would just be overkill at this point. Fury considered the idea that there might be a new power on his field, and he didn't like it.

"Do we have any energy recording of the area at the time of the explosion?" He questioned.

"Only from the one satellite that I was using at the time to look for Dr. Banner sir, and what readings we did get are off the charts."

The agent brought forward a piece of paper with the energy readings which Fury looked over. Within seconds his single eye had widened and his eyebrows rose in surprise. He had seen readings like this one before.

"Agent, change of plans. Banner is now secondary to finding the source of this energy spike, feel free to keep an eye out for him but I want our focus to be on investigating this town. I want everything on everyone that ever lived there for the past ten years at the least and you will report everything to Agent Hill or myself, is that clear?" Fury snapped in a tone that brooked no argument.

"Yes sir," Agent Demore snapped off a quick nod and promptly left the room.

The door closed with a click and after a moment Fury pivoted in his seat around to look out the window of the Helicarrier, only it wasn't the clouds he was concentrating on. Something new had just jumped into the game and Fury was _not happy _about it. Even though he didn't know yet what it was, he did know that it was potentially powerful enough to be a very serious threat. He just hoped that whatever was behind that energy source didn't fall into the wrong hands. Only time would tell.

Bruce was woken by the sound of bird song, slowly brightening light on his eyes and the uncomfortable feeling of tree roots poking into his stomach. With great difficultly he opened his eyes and scanned his surroundings as bitter disappointment welled up in his throat. Once his eyes had adjusted Bruce could see that the sun was slowly beginning to rise in the east and he was lying shirtless beside a tree that looked like it had been snapped in half. A large trail of destruction could be seen winding its way through the forest, all Bruce could do was groan and lay his aching head back down on the forest floor. Of course the Other Guy couldn't make anything easy for him; Bruce should have known that even his death couldn't be quick and painless. Not after all the pain and suffering he had caused.

It was the uncomfortable pricking and poking of pine splinters on his bare skin that convinced Bruce to pause his wallowing and pick himself up. Clutching the waist of his now tattered and barely holding together pants he only moved far enough to sit on what remained of a log. At least his modesty was fully covered; sometimes when he woke he didn't even have that.

Bruce ran a hand through his rumpled wavy hair as his dark thoughts returned with a vengeance, _'__Now what?'_ he wondered to himself.

It was obvious that something quick and relatively painless wasn't going to work since the Other Guy would simply step in. For several minutes Bruce morbidly considered the many different ways that he could finish what he had started. After all the saying went; _if at first you don't succeed try, try again,_ right? Some things were crossed off immediately like poison and jumping off someplace high up. The first wouldn't work due to the fact that his already deadly blood would likely cancel out even the most powerful of toxins. As for the latter he doubted he would be able to keep his heart rate slow enough to hit the ground in his more vulnerable form.

The ex-physicist was just beginning to consider the pros and cons of drowning vs self-starvation when he thought he heard something moving in the brushes behind him. Immediately fear born from years of being on the run had Bruce on his feet and gazing wearily around, despite his aching body and exhaustion from his transformation. It wouldn't be the first time he was attacked soon after one of his 'episodes' and forced to run for his life once more, and it likely wouldn't be the last either. Bruce slowly turned toward where he thought he had heard the bushes rustling but couldn't see anything through the thick undergrowth.

So against his better judgement he called out, "Hello?" Bruce rasped, having to stop to clear his dry throat just realizing how thirsty he was.

However there was no answer and the woods remained quiet. Bruce was just about to pass off what he had heard as paranoia when he glimpsed something moving in the corner of his eye. Turning so quickly he almost gave himself whiplash Bruce turned his head and spotted something small and white disappear behind a tree.

"Is someone there?" He called, wary and ready to run at a moment's notice.

There was a tense minute of silence passed before Bruce heard whatever was hiding shift, and to his surprise his wary brown eyes met with a pair of anxious amber orbs.

**TADA! That's all I got for the moment, but please let me know if you think I should continue. What are your thoughts on Bruce's state of mind? Was it too much? Let me know by writing in the box below! **


End file.
